JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An arrest has been made after a triple shooting that occurred in April in a quiet neighborhood near Yellow Bluff Road and Eagle Preserve Boulevard.
Shawna McDowell, 48, is facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder. According to a report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, she shot a family member and a visitor at the home before shooting herself. Everyone survived the shooting.
The shooting was reported on April 5. Lindsey Vantassel, a neighbor, said she was startled by a loud noise that night.
“I woke up from something, and I got up, and I heard just like a few bangs,” she said. “I didn’t think they were gunshots at the time, but I heard something where I was kind of startled, and then I walked to the front but i didn’t see anything.”
Neighbors awakened to a crime scene at McDowell’s home, police everywhere and many unanswered questions.
Most of the arrest report is redacted, but it shows one of the two people McDowell is accused of shooting was only 17 years old.
McDowell has hired defense attorney Mark O’Mara for her case. O’Mara was George Zimmerman’s defense attorney for the Trayvon Martin case, and he’s one of three attorney’s handling the case.
McDowell’s initial arraignment is scheduled for June 16. Records show she’s held in the Duval County jail without bond. She has now record or previous arrests.
News4Jax has requested a statement from McDowell’s attorneys.